Southwest Reaches Tenative Agreement With Ground Crew Operations Union

Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) Local 555 announced reaching a tentative agreement on Dec. 23 after four years of contract negotiations.

TWU Local 555, which represents 12,000 ramp, operations, provisioning and freights agents at Southwest, said in a press release Wednesday that the new contract includes substantial pay raises over 20 percent for union members in all classifications. The union’s executive board voted to send copies of the agreement to union members’ homes for review and expects voting via telephone or online to begin in January. If approved, the contract will cover five years from the date of ratification and amendable in 2021.

“After more than four years of negotiations, our members will have the final say on this tentative agreement,” said TWU President Greg Puriski. “It’s is an important choice for workers and their families and the decision is theirs and theirs alone.”

Southwest said in its own press release Wednesday that the deal improves wages and benefits and increases Southwest’s competitive standing within the industry.

“I am grateful to the company and union negotiators who shaped this agreement,” said Vice President Ground Operations Steve Goldberg. “We wanted a rewarding contract that our employees would support, as well as one that supports our company’s low-fare structure and growth opportunities, and we believe this agreement achieves those objectives.”

Dallas-based Southwest operates a network of 97 destinations in the U.S. and seven other countries. It hosts more than 3,900 departing flights per day during the travel industry’s peak seasons.

[Photo: Bloomberg]